Carl Dorvil (’05, ’08), CEO of Group Excellence, will help kick off the week with an opening speech at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23 in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Forum. Dorvil started Group Excellence in 2004 out of his SMU dorm room, hiring bright and highly motivated college students and young professionals to tutor and mentor students in public schools. Today, the company is a 500-person operation.

Immediately following Dorvil’s speech is a kickoff rally at 5 p.m. at the flagpole on the Main Quad. Refreshments and T-shirts will be provided as students are invited to share their ideas for making their mark with an Engaged Learning project.

On Friday, Jan. 25, SMU faculty and staff members will present workshops and roundtable discussions on topics ranging from how to write a successful Engaged Learning proposal to best mentoring practices for professors. All workshops take place in the lower level of Clements Hall.